Week 1:
Tomorrow will mark my first full week of being at UGA. Coming from a much smaller university, I had no clue what to expect when I got here. When I arrived, I was amazed at the magnitude of people from various areas and ethnic groups. At my previous, college there was hardly any diversity, but at UGA I have noticed all of the different ethnicities, religions, and cultures that I did not get to experience at my old school.
Week 2:
Recently in my American History we discussed an article about the estimated Native American population in the Western Hemisphere before colonization. For the longest time, it was believed to be a small number of Indians; however new theories speculate that there could have been at least 18 million people already living here. One thing that stood out to me in the article was that it claimed that many people are skeptical to believe the larger amount because it is easier to believe that America was free land to claim, instead of accepting the fact that millions of people were killed in the process of founding it.
Week 3:
This week I attended the Syrian refugee simulation. It really opened my eyes to what the people of those families are having to go through. It was very heartbreaking and made me aware of the chaos going on around us.
Week 4:
This weekend I had the experience to go over to a friend of mine's house and taste authentic Ghanaian food her mother prepared. Their food is very different from food found in America. In my opinion, it had a lot more flavor than our food. A lot of the dishes centered around using plantains as the main focus of the dish. Hopefully in the future I will get to try more authentic food from different cultures.
Week 5:
This past weekend I went home and there was a peace rally downtown. It specifically targeted the immigration issues that have been present recently.
Week 6:
This Sunday was my first time getting to go to a kids event for UGA HERO's. HERO's is an organization that helps children who are affected by HIV and AIDS. A lot of the kids come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and do not get to participate in a lot of activities outside of their homes. It was amazing to be able to see them having fun at the event and to not have to worry about their home lives.
Week 7:
Within the past few days, the Dakota Access Pipeline protesting site was officially completely cleared. For months the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has been battling to stop the pipeline in fear that the it will leak oil and contaminate their drinking water supply. Sadly, the project will continue to move forward now that the site is completely clear of protestors. http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/22/us/dakota-access-pipeline-evacuation-order/
Week 8:
President Trump's new immigration proposal plans to actively separate families. Parents would be locked away while children would be placed under protective custody with the Department of Health and Human Services. Multiple families are very concerned and scared about being separated. The video has a couple of testimonies from children who have been separated from their parents. It's very heartbreaking to hear them talk about having their family members and loved ones being taking away from them. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/immigration-proposal-separate-mothers-children-attempting-illegal-border-45906365
Week 9:
This week the Georgia Senate panel approved a ban on LGBT adoptions. Private agencies that receive state funding will now be allowed to deny a state's agency referral if the couple is gay. http://www.projectq.us/atlanta/georgia_senate_panel_approves_ban_on_lgbt_adoptions
Week 10:
SNL star Michael Che recently received a lot of backlash when he claimed that Boston is the "most racist city" he had every visited. He refused to apologize for his claim because he received a lot of hate whenever he visited the city. He urged people from the city to ask their minority friends if they agreed with him on the matter. http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/03/25/snl-star-doesnt-back-away-from-boston-racism-comment.html
Week 11:
The loss of the Sioux's tribe to the Dakota Access Pipeline has led to many more concerns other than just a leakage from the pipe. The members of the tribe were promised better healthcare, housing, and education, but people fear that they will not be receiving help now. More than 40% of people in the tribe live below poverty level and experience many hardships. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/standing-rock-pipeline-reservation_us_58e295dde4b03a26a364fb92?utm_hp_ref=racism
Week 12:
This past weekend, Trump launched a missile strike against Syria in response to the chemical weapon attack that killed multiple innocent civilians. http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/06/politics/donald-trump-syria-military/index.html
Week 13:
About 4 days ago, Sheila Abdus-Salaam was found dead in the Hudson River. Abdus-Salaam is a significant name because she was the first Muslim woman to serve as a U.S. judge. She was considered very progressive. Her cause of death has still not been determined. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/13/first-female-muslim-united-states-judge-found-dead-hudson-river.html
Week 14:
Just recently, a man named Kori Ali Muhammed went on a killing spree, murdering three white men. The murders are not tied to racism, but were "solely based on race". Muhammed refers to himself as "Black Jesus" and has made multiple Facebook about how he hates white people. He turned himself into the police after his murders. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/18/fresno-shooting-spree-3-people-killed-suspect-in-custody.html
Tomorrow will mark my first full week of being at UGA. Coming from a much smaller university, I had no clue what to expect when I got here. When I arrived, I was amazed at the magnitude of people from various areas and ethnic groups. At my previous, college there was hardly any diversity, but at UGA I have noticed all of the different ethnicities, religions, and cultures that I did not get to experience at my old school.
Week 2:
Recently in my American History we discussed an article about the estimated Native American population in the Western Hemisphere before colonization. For the longest time, it was believed to be a small number of Indians; however new theories speculate that there could have been at least 18 million people already living here. One thing that stood out to me in the article was that it claimed that many people are skeptical to believe the larger amount because it is easier to believe that America was free land to claim, instead of accepting the fact that millions of people were killed in the process of founding it.
Week 3:
This week I attended the Syrian refugee simulation. It really opened my eyes to what the people of those families are having to go through. It was very heartbreaking and made me aware of the chaos going on around us.
Week 4:
This weekend I had the experience to go over to a friend of mine's house and taste authentic Ghanaian food her mother prepared. Their food is very different from food found in America. In my opinion, it had a lot more flavor than our food. A lot of the dishes centered around using plantains as the main focus of the dish. Hopefully in the future I will get to try more authentic food from different cultures.
Week 5:
This past weekend I went home and there was a peace rally downtown. It specifically targeted the immigration issues that have been present recently.
Week 6:
This Sunday was my first time getting to go to a kids event for UGA HERO's. HERO's is an organization that helps children who are affected by HIV and AIDS. A lot of the kids come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and do not get to participate in a lot of activities outside of their homes. It was amazing to be able to see them having fun at the event and to not have to worry about their home lives.
Week 7:
Within the past few days, the Dakota Access Pipeline protesting site was officially completely cleared. For months the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has been battling to stop the pipeline in fear that the it will leak oil and contaminate their drinking water supply. Sadly, the project will continue to move forward now that the site is completely clear of protestors.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/22/us/dakota-access-pipeline-evacuation-order/
Week 8:
President Trump's new immigration proposal plans to actively separate families. Parents would be locked away while children would be placed under protective custody with the Department of Health and Human Services. Multiple families are very concerned and scared about being separated. The video has a couple of testimonies from children who have been separated from their parents. It's very heartbreaking to hear them talk about having their family members and loved ones being taking away from them.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/immigration-proposal-separate-mothers-children-attempting-illegal-border-45906365
Week 9:
This week the Georgia Senate panel approved a ban on LGBT adoptions. Private agencies that receive state funding will now be allowed to deny a state's agency referral if the couple is gay.
http://www.projectq.us/atlanta/georgia_senate_panel_approves_ban_on_lgbt_adoptions
Week 10:
SNL star Michael Che recently received a lot of backlash when he claimed that Boston is the "most racist city" he had every visited. He refused to apologize for his claim because he received a lot of hate whenever he visited the city. He urged people from the city to ask their minority friends if they agreed with him on the matter.
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2017/03/25/snl-star-doesnt-back-away-from-boston-racism-comment.html
Week 11:
The loss of the Sioux's tribe to the Dakota Access Pipeline has led to many more concerns other than just a leakage from the pipe. The members of the tribe were promised better healthcare, housing, and education, but people fear that they will not be receiving help now. More than 40% of people in the tribe live below poverty level and experience many hardships.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/standing-rock-pipeline-reservation_us_58e295dde4b03a26a364fb92?utm_hp_ref=racism
Week 12:
This past weekend, Trump launched a missile strike against Syria in response to the chemical weapon attack that killed multiple innocent civilians.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/06/politics/donald-trump-syria-military/index.html
Week 13:
About 4 days ago, Sheila Abdus-Salaam was found dead in the Hudson River. Abdus-Salaam is a significant name because she was the first Muslim woman to serve as a U.S. judge. She was considered very progressive. Her cause of death has still not been determined.
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/13/first-female-muslim-united-states-judge-found-dead-hudson-river.html
Week 14:
Just recently, a man named Kori Ali Muhammed went on a killing spree, murdering three white men. The murders are not tied to racism, but were "solely based on race". Muhammed refers to himself as "Black Jesus" and has made multiple Facebook about how he hates white people. He turned himself into the police after his murders.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/18/fresno-shooting-spree-3-people-killed-suspect-in-custody.html